Category Archives: YA reviews

In BANE Trish Milburn continues the story of Jax who has fled her dark witch coven to escape and find out if she is what she thinks: A white witch. At the end of the first book she fought her coven and won, but took into her a force that she explores in this book; and the influence of which on her are questionable. She and her sidekick Egan, who is in the same situation as her, hide out in Salem, refraining from using magik as that might alert their covens as to their whereabouts all the while trying to find a way to turn the darkness of the covens around.

They meet a kind of witches they didn’t know existed and their hope to find a solution rises as these newfound allies try to aid them as much as possible.

The book is exciting, enticing and ends in a cliffhanger that makes you want the third book right away… what more can an author hope to accomplish?

Well written and four stars!

Thanks to NetGalley for the preview of this book. It is much appreciated and I cannot wait for the next book, as this one ends in such a cliff hanger.

This first book in Heather Burch’s Halflings series is a great intro into the world of half angels.

This book has action, friendship, love, spiritualism, and much more to offer.
Nikki, a 16 year old finds herself attacked by hell hounds then saved by what she quickly figures to be her guardian angels. Not quite right, but essentially their job. They are gorgeous young men and her heart and gut have many battles to fight. And that is where this book is very intelligent. The emotional reasoning behind much of the actions and the inner turmoil those actions cause are eloquently explained, which however in no way makes them less heartwrenching.

Nikki has some special abilities herself, only a small part of which are uncovered in this book and keep you hoping for more revelations in the next part.

Book four of the Unbidden magic series finds the reader back with Allie, hoping to have some rest.

But once again she is overwhelmed with new information and tasks to be done: She discovers she has a twin, has to find the girl to make her half whole to save the world from dark fae and all this in only a few month…

Junior is back in town and faithful as ever, helping her find her twin and accompanying her on her quests.

Across the state they are once again encountering menacing Trimarks, who they later discover have burrowed deep into friendly territory. Allie’s sister is more than reluctant to help them and when Allie gets kidnapped by two people she knows want to exploit her abilities the nailbiting hits its peak!

Introducing a kind of protective fairy to replace her ditsy guardian angel of sorts, a new adversary in form of a dark fairy disguised as a preacher that is dating Kizzy’s reformed daughter and a cute homeless girl that follows them around, we not only get a whole new cast of loveable and hateable characters, but are as ever left with the questions of who they are and what role they will play in the story…

It is amazing how intricate and wide spun this tale leaves you feeling close to the characters and the action at all times. Brothers has done a fine job of spinning a tale that has you twisting and turning with the action and wanting more, always wanting more!!!

Cannot wait for the next book to find out what we (!) are up against next.

In this third book, we follow Allie back to her trailer, where she again discovers all sort of new things about herself, her life and her abilitiees with and without the moonstone.

She meets Ryker, a sometimes Hawk, sometimes hunk…and very fairy… and is -as she discovers that she has fae blood herself, through her grandmother- presumed his mate! Ryker has come to take her to fairyland, Boundless, to save her ailing grandmother and assume her rightful place by his side…

Yes you got it, and I warned: There is a lot about Allie to be discovered… and it’s all good!

With her two previous boyfriends out of town and living their own lifes Allie is left to spend time with Ryker, also ends up babysitting her school principal’s child (adopted) and finds out that not only she is fairy. So what better time than now to go with Ryker to Boundless…

This is the part where the book gets a bit different and I’m not sure I like it. The whole section in Boundless is part Narnia part Alice in Wonderland and although it plays in fairyland is a little too fairytale for me in a young adult novel. In a way though the author has done a great job making that world so different from the “real” one.
We enter a world of all sorts of fairies and then some, meet wererats and changelings and are drawn into whirlwind of action once more.

At the end this is the first book of the series that gives you a bit of time for a breather before starting on the next installment, but as we still need to know about the full extend of Allie’s abilities which she will definitely have to master if she is going to save the world (as that is her destiny), it is recommended to once again have the next book nearby.

In the second book af the series Allie still has the moonstone, she managed to defy the Trimarks that were after it.

But not only are they going to show up in her life again, she also lost her just newly found abilities and is seriously questioning herself.

Enter a new boy (?) in town. During a school dance her friend Kizzy anounces, that this boy is a healer and can help her… she finds out soon enough and low and behold yet a few other things about herself. Did I mention yet there a lot to be discovered?

So beside the action itself, Allie is complex enough -without either her or the reader knowing the full extend of it yet- to make this another fast paced exciting read, at the and of which you need to have part #3 on hand to not be left hanging…

In this first installment of the Unbidden Magic series the reader is introduced to Allie (Alfrieda named after her Greatgrandmother) in a most funny way. She is the heroine that grabs you right from the get go. Not only is she an underdog with a less than perfect life, she also starts off as a slightly clutzy girl and you just have to love the way she meets her fate in the first few pages of the book (it involves a barb wire fence, a bull and his excrements…).

This novel is all about Allie discovering what she is, finding out things about herself she didn’t know; and there are a lot of things, it seems to be a mantra throughout these books, as if the first 16 years of her life left her very incomplete.

With the help of her friend Kizzy, an elderly woman, often thought to be a witch, but really a roma gypsy, who is like a part time aunt to her whenever her Mom cannot take care of her (which seems to be frequently), Allie discovers abilities she has awakened through the event in the beginning of the book. She has a star shaped mark on her hand that marks her as a star seeker, whatever that may entail for her she has yet to find out…

On top of this Kizzy gives her the Moonstone as it appears there is a prophecy that says that Allie is supposed to have it.

From now on things happen that Allie has no control over. She is followed by opposing Trimarks, discovers her father, who wasn’t in the picture for all her live and some things about him, just to be drawn deeply in when said Trimarks kidnap her mother to lure the Moonstone- that they are after- to them…

Through it all she has the help of a few faithful friends, Mercedes, Manny and her almost boyfriend Junior and her yet to be fully exploited abilities…this book only scratches the surface and leaves you wanting more the moment you reach the end, so on to part #2…

White Witch by Trish Melburn is a captivating story of a young witch, Jax, who has left her coven of black witches, that has a long time ago sworn revenge on the humans that burned them, to start a new life.

She comes to a small town, unawares that it’s a hotbed of paranormal activity due to a spring of witch force seeping… she only wants a normal life, finds her best friend, Tina; a love interest who maybe shouldn’t be (due to the fact that he’s hunting “her Kind”), Keller; and a nemesis (other than her controlling family that is bound to catch her back, as no one leaves the coven unpunished), Stacey; and is shortly joined by a fellow deserter witch, Egan.

Sounds very fast paced? It is indeed! Sometimes so much so, especially towards the end, as if the author couldn’t wait to finish the book asap. Maybe more needn’t be told, but the writing still seems in places rushed, almost incomplete…

The ending is unexpected; as a lot of YA stories deliver the anticipated Happy Ending this one delivers something else and despite or maybe because of the rush one is left hoping for a second part to the story. And isn’t that a good sign?!

I love the characters, the take on witches and the story line enough too recommend it. The language and the way it is so appropriate and up to date for YA’s makes it highly recommendable.http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/284336403

Thanks to NetGalley for a preview of this book, will be published March 2012.